Afghan forces, backed by the United States, have killed an estimated 300 fighters of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group in an operation mounted two weeks ago, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday, calling it a severe blow to the group.
General John Nicholson said the offensive in the eastern province of Nangarhar was part of US operations to degrade the capabilities of IS wherever it raised its head, whether in Iraq and Syria or in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.
The group, believed to be confined to three or four of the more than 400 districts in Afghanistan, last month claimed the bombing at a demonstration by the Shia Hazara minority in the capital, Kabul, in which at least 80 people were killed.
